Assine Procedure.
There was some sense that this latest flap between Jack Markell and John Carney would erupt a couple weeks ago. It has to do with the asinine procedure Democrats put together under state chairman John Daniello called local endorsements.
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The whole process is a farce and means little other than who gets the latest updated version of the Department of Election voters list without paying the $5,000. Oh, and who gets party money toward his primary campaign against the other Democrat — which is what Markell rightfully is protesting.
If these boobs in the Democratic Party insist on having a “statewide” endorsed candidate in a primary who gets all the money, I would strongly suggest that is not very democratic.
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Republicans in this state do the same thing, which is just as wrong — even though their endorsement of candidates is at a statewide convention and not in someone’s living room.
Get back to the convention form of nominating statewide candidates for both parties, and require that party-raised money be reserved for general election races.
I do feel like a Hillary Clinton supporter who is complaing about the unfairness of state caucuses or the proportional allocation of delegations. But at least in the national primary, the nominating convention was not held BEFORE the primaries, and the DNC did not buy ads touting Barack Obama’s new leadership.
Still, there is a sense that rules are rules, no matter how unfair and horribly corrupt those rules are. A commenter mentioned that both Markell and Carney knew the rules of the game, and that is why they pursued the endorsement by going to each Representative Committee meeting asking for their support. They knew by getting the endorsement, there would be a reward.
So yes, it is perfectly legal and expected for the party to provide money to the winner of their endorsement.
But that does not make it right. And it makes the Delaware Democratic Party look like a corrupt cabal of good ole boys who possess no regard for good government, good policy, or good ethics.
This is just one more thing we must reform in the Democratic Party and the state of Delaware.
With this boneheaded intervention on Carney’s behalf (is he panicked?) John Daniello has created the kind of primary that he claimed he didn’t want.
Ass.
I’ve seen firsthand Daniello’s management approach. “If you don’t do everything I say you should be a Republican.”
If I recall, we used to have a Republican Party in this State that tried the same tactic through Still, Strine, Brady, et al. I wonder what happened to them and their party?
Back in my days in Maryland politics, I remember some lists of voters that were generated by volunteers. They were updated with phone numbers and had a score calculated on the basis of past voting records.
Is it just possible that more than a few ‘party leaders’ fancy themselves as kingmakers?
In my first foray into candidacy, the folks at the Maryland GOP HQ provided me with a complete voter list of my district. It was a couple of months old but it was free. It was a contested primary but the other candidate never asked for help. Money and name recognition were all he thought he needed.
Filing fees were rather reasonable and were not intended as barriers to participation.
How is it that 13 NCCo Democrats can speak for the entire Party? 13 out of 23 – that’s all that voted for Carney. Not a ringing endorsement. More like a backroom deal.
Precisely.
Then why not complain about it when it was happening, instead of trying to win this “backroom deal.” How is Markell not complicit in it? If he had laid the groundwork for this in March, saying “this is a bad and undemocratic way to do this and I’m not going to participate.” Fine.
That isn’t the case.
Good point, Geek. Markell should have spoken up sooner about the undemocratic and divisive nature of all of this. But that point does not negate ours.
Geek: Maybe this is all just manufactured outrage by Markell. In which case it’s a great strategy, because the decision to run those ads is costing the Carney camp far more than it gained. It’s what smart campaigns do.
Carney’s campaign, OTOH, is left looking stupid, and they’ve tarnished the one credential he could claim. Brilliant work on their part, no?
I agree that this is a brilliant Markell camp move. It has gored the ox.
Al, does your clarification of what happened and its effect show that someone who made a lot of money on his own would be more competent as Governor than a party hack?
(that sounded a little like a push-poll question; nonetheless, its a valid point)
LG #6 is not a good point.
Markell knew Carney was going to win the party hacks who make up the NCC Rd committee members. He knew it and said, I’m going to win on the ground among Democrats. His gripe isn’t with the system.
It is with the Carney camp poisoning the well instead of trying to help get Democrats elected.
The best part, from the Markell camp’s view, is that Carney is no longer tied merely to the unloved Minner; he’s now been placed squarely in the camp of the party’s entire incompetent old guard. Minner will be gone, but Daniello, DeLuca & Co. will still be there after November.
All Markell has to do now is ask Democratic voters if they’re happy with the way that group has run the state for the past 8 years. Because, truth be told, Minner hasn’t run anything, and it wasn’t Carney who was holding the reins. It was these clowns. Trading Minner for Carney is like giving fresh horses to the James Gang.
Is “assine” pronounced “as-SYNE” or “as-SEEN”?
LOL…
Trading Minner for Carney is like giving fresh horses to the James Gang.
Sunday’s quote of the day.
Then why not complain about it when it was happening, instead of trying to win this “backroom deal.” How is Markell not complicit in it?
kinda sums up tha last 8 years…
for both Markel and Carney
Prison Security
Prison Healthcare
State Mental Hospital
DelDOT
DEDO
Liveable Delaware???????? The Democratic party is about as corrupt as corrupt can get.